The First Dynasty of Lagaš
Lagaš was not included on the Sumerian King List. Two early ruler of Lagaš that can be identified from Inscriptions include Enhengal and Lugalšagengur. However there is little that is known about either of these two rulers.
- Ur-nanše
It is uncertain exactly when Ur-nanše founded the 1st Dynasty if Lagaš but it is estimated to have been sometime around the year 2,500 BCE. Ur-nanše ruled Lagaš following the reign of Lugalšagengur. It is unlikely that Ur-nanše was of royal linage due to his father Gunidu not having any titles included with his name.
Ur-nanše left behind many important objects that bear inscriptions such as the The Plaque of Ur-nanše and The Perforated Relief of King Ur-nanše both of which can be found at the Louvre Museum in France today.
cdli.ox.ac.uk/wiki/doku.php?id=ur-nansheenenuru.net/html/sumerian_hist/urnanshe.htm- Akurgal
Ur-nanše passed the rule down to his son Akurgal. Little is known about the reign of Akurgal before he passed rule down to his son Eannatum (grandson of Ur-nanše).
enenuru.net/html/sumerian_hist/akurgal.htm- Eannatum
Eannatum greatly expanded the power of Lagaš and made the City-state into a mighty Kingdom that held sway throughout all of Kiengir. Eannatum defeated Zuzu ruler of Akshak and Enshagkushana a great King of Uruk whose name is recorded on the Sumerian King List. Eannatum conquered all of Sumer including Umma, Uruk, Ur, Akshak, Larsa and Nippur. He then went on to defeat the armies of Kiš, Mari and Elam.
A plaque called The Stele of the Vultures recorded Eannatum's defeat over Lagaš's neighbor and rival Umma.
cdli.ox.ac.uk/wiki/doku.php?id=eannatumenenuru.net/html/sumerian_hist/eanatum.htm- Enannatum I
Enannatum I succeeded his brother Eannatum as ruler of Lagaš. The power of Lagaš started to decline after the death of Eannatum. Kiš regained independence in the North. Ur-Lumma ruler of Umma tried to rebel against Enannatum I but was replaced by the priest-king, Illi, who also attacked Lagaš.
enenuru.net/html/sumerian_hist/enannatum.htmwww.ancient.eu/image/2865/culturalinstitute.britishmuseum.org/asset-viewer/fragment-of-a-stone-plaque-depicting-enannatum/sgEKt5PKg2NVgA?hl=en- Entemena
Enannatum I was succeeded by his son Entemena (the nephew of Eannatum). Entemena reestablished the power of Lagaš. He defeated Illi of Umma, with the aid of Lugalkinishedudu of Uruk (successor to Enshagkushana). Entemena left behind many artifacts and inscriptions. These objects include The clay nail of Entemena, A tripod of silver dedicated by Entemena to his god located at the Louvre, one of the earliest statues of a known king which was recently returned to the National Museum of Iraq after being recovered from looting (http://mobile.nytimes.com/2006/07/26/world/middleeast/26antiquities.html) and Entemena's great silver vase ornamented with Ningirsu's sacred animal Anzu: a lion-headed eagle.
cdli.ox.ac.uk/wiki/doku.php?id=enmetenasumerianshakespeare.com/70701/70801.htmlwww.britannica.com/biography/Entemena- Enanatum II
Entemena was succeeded by his son Enanatum II. Little is known about the reign of this ruler. Four copies of the one inscription from his reign have been found. This sole Inscription is attests to his renovation of the Beer House of Ningirsu.
cdli.ox.ac.uk/wiki/doku.php?id=enanatum_ii- Enentarzid
The successor to Enanatum II was Enentarzid who previously was the chief priest of Ningirsu. Enentarzid may have been appointed to the throne after the sudden death of the previous ruler. A letter (CIRPL 46) written by a temple administrator named Luena to Enentarzid, at that time still serving as a priest of Ningirsu, reports how Luena intercepted some 600 Elamites during their return to Elam after an attack on Lagash. The text then asks Enentarzid if the ensi of Lagash is still alive. The scholar Bauer takes this as an indication that the ensi died during this attack and thus causing Enentarzid to take up the throne. Little is known about Enentarzid's reign, as only a small number of administrative texts from the temple archives have survived from his reign, and no royal inscriptions from his reign have been found.
cdli.ox.ac.uk/wiki/doku.php?id=enentarzid- - Lugalanda
Enentarzid was succeeded by his son Lugalanda. All Inscriptions mentioning the reign of Lugalanda describe his reign as a time of great corruption and injustice against the weak. Lugalanda had a reputation for greed. Lugalanda seized control of the most important temples, those of the gods Ningirsu and Shulshagana and the goddess Bau. He placed them under the administration of an official that he appointed who was not, as formerly the case, a priest. Lugalanda also appointed himself and other members of his family as administrators of the temples. He referred to these temples as the private property of the ensi. He no longer mentioned the name of the deities in temple documents and he levied taxes on the priesthood. Lugalanda and his wife became the largest landholders in the region. Inscriptions state that the king confiscated approximately 650 hectares of land. His wife was named Bara-namtara. She was the daughter of a great landowner who had commercial connections with the queen of Adab. His wife shared in the ensi’s power, managing her own private estates and those of the temple Bau. She sent diplomatic missions to neighboring states and she bought and sold slaves. (source: "The Creation of Patriarchy", by Gerda Lerner)
Tensions between the ensi and the community increased. On his foundation cones Urukinimgina describes the prevailing conditions for the common people. Their boats were seized by the chief of the boatmen. Their sheep were appropriated by the head herdsman, and their fish stores were confiscated by the fisheries inspector. The “men of the ensi” cut down the orchards of the poor and conscripted workers to labor in the fields. Court officials were “everywhere”. The ensi took the best land for himself and used the sacred oxen from the temples to plow his fields. The temple officials were also greedy and corrupt. They charged excessive fees to perform their religious rituals and to bury the dead. They took bribes, levied onerous taxes which they shared with the ensi, and they likewise used temple oxen to plow their fields. Although these conditions had existed to some degree since time immemorial (“from distant days”) they seemed to have become much worse during the reign of Lugalanda. Lugalanda ruled for under seven years before being disposed by Urukinimgina.
cdli.ox.ac.uk/wiki/doku.php?id=lugalanda
- Urukinimgina (alternatively rendered Uruk.KA.gina)
Lugalanda was usurped by a reformer named Urukinimgina . Urukinimgina may not have been of royal descent, since he did not assume the rulership by the normal means of royal succession and he never signed himself as dumu, "son of", which seems to indicate his father was not a high-ranking nobleman with a title worth mentioning. It has also been suggested that his wife Sasa (or Shagshag) was a commoner because her brother was a "chief herdsman", an official in charge of livestock, although this title was sometimes held by members of the minor nobility. She nonetheless became the administrator of the temple of the goddess Bau (Ba-u, or Baba) which employed more than 1,000 workers. This suggests she was educated, and thus a member of the nobility. Many of her administrative tablets from the temple have survived to the present day.
The fact that Lugalanda’s son Urtarsirsira is known to be alive a year after Urukinimgina became ruler indicates that it was not a bloody coup d'état. This by itself was a notable break with ancient tradition. It was usually the custom to execute a deposed monarch and his sons, thus ending any pretensions they had about reclaiming the throne. In seizing power, Urukinimgina declared he was acting on behalf of boatmen, shepherds, fisherman and farmers, and he implied that he was aided by the priests. The priesthood of Lagash had always been very influential, but if the temple officials thought they were playing the role of “king maker” by bringing Urukinimgina to power, they would later have cause to regret it.
As Ensi Urukinimgina soon set about making some changes. He dismissed many corrupt officials, the chief boatmen, head herdsmen and fishery inspectors who had seized private property. He confiscated the estates of the ensi and placed them under the jurisdiction of the gods (i.e., the temples). Urukinimgina removed many court officials, including the supervisors who controlled the grain tax. He dismissed the priests who had taken bribes and the temple administrators who had shared tax revenues with the ensi. Then Urukinimgina set limits on the amount that the priests could collect for their religious rituals and their fees for burying the dead. He cancelled debt‑slavery and declared a general amnesty for the citizens of Lagash, even for criminals, even for thieves and murderers (“their prison he cleared out”). Last but not least, he provided charity for the poor and the elderly. In all of these actions Urukinimgina claimed he was directed by the gods.
sumerianshakespeare.com/70701/77001.html
- The Fall of the 1st Dynasty of Lagaš
Sometime around the year 2,350 BCE Urukinimgina was defeated by the ruler of Uruk Lugalzagesi thus ending the 1st Dynasty of Lagaš. Just a few years later Lugalzagesi was defeated by Sargon of Agade marking the beginning the Sargonic period.
